scholarly journals Prediction of conversion to Alzheimer’s disease using deep survival analysis of MRI images

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomonori Nakagawa ◽  
Manabu Ishida ◽  
Junpei Naito ◽  
Atsushi Nagai ◽  
Shuhei Yamaguchi ◽  
...  

Abstract The prediction of the conversion of healthy individuals and those with mild cognitive impairment to the status of active Alzheimer’s disease is a challenging task. Recently, a survival analysis based upon deep learning was developed to enable predictions regarding the timing of an event in a dataset containing censored data. Here, we investigated whether a deep survival analysis could similarly predict the conversion to Alzheimer’s disease. We selected individuals with mild cognitive impairment and cognitively normal subjects and used the grey matter volumes of brain regions in these subjects as predictive features. We then compared the prediction performances of the traditional standard Cox proportional-hazard model, the DeepHit model and our deep survival model based on a Weibull distribution. Our model achieved a maximum concordance index of 0.835, which was higher than that yielded by the Cox model and comparable to that of the DeepHit model. To our best knowledge, this is the first report to describe the application of a deep survival model to brain magnetic resonance imaging data. Our results demonstrate that this type of analysis could successfully predict the time of an individual’s conversion to Alzheimer’s disease.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiong Jiang ◽  
James H. Howard ◽  
G. Wiliam Rebeck ◽  
R. Scott Turner

ABSTRACTSpatial inhibition of return (IOR) refers to the phenomenon by which individuals are slower to respond to stimuli appearing at a previously cued location compared to un-cued locations. Here we provide evidence supporting that spatial IOR is mildly impaired in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the impairment is readily detectable using a novel double cue paradigm. Furthermore, reduced spatial IOR in high-risk healthy older individuals is associated with reduced memory and other neurocognitive task performance, suggesting that the novel double cue spatial IOR paradigm may be useful in detecting MCI and early AD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTNovel double cue spatial inhibition of return (IOR) paradigm revealed a robust effect IOR deficits in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD)Spatial IOR effect correlates with memory performance in healthy older adults at a elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease (with a family history or APOE e4 allele)The data suggests that double cue spatial IOR may be sensitive to detect early AD pathological changes, which may be linked to disease progress at the posterior brain regions (rather than the medial temporal lobe)


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 2948-2960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas M Vogt ◽  
Jack F Hunt ◽  
Nagesh Adluru ◽  
Douglas C Dean ◽  
Sterling C Johnson ◽  
...  

Abstract In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), neurodegenerative processes are ongoing for years prior to the time that cortical atrophy can be reliably detected using conventional neuroimaging techniques. Recent advances in diffusion-weighted imaging have provided new techniques to study neural microstructure, which may provide additional information regarding neurodegeneration. In this study, we used neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), a multi-compartment diffusion model, in order to investigate cortical microstructure along the clinical continuum of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD dementia. Using gray matter-based spatial statistics (GBSS), we demonstrated that neurite density index (NDI) was significantly lower throughout temporal and parietal cortical regions in MCI, while both NDI and orientation dispersion index (ODI) were lower throughout parietal, temporal, and frontal regions in AD dementia. In follow-up ROI analyses comparing microstructure and cortical thickness (derived from T1-weighted MRI) within the same brain regions, differences in NODDI metrics remained, even after controlling for cortical thickness. Moreover, for participants with MCI, gray matter NDI—but not cortical thickness—was lower in temporal, parietal, and posterior cingulate regions. Taken together, our results highlight the utility of NODDI metrics in detecting cortical microstructural degeneration that occurs prior to measurable macrostructural changes and overt clinical dementia.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruru Wang ◽  
Ding Ding ◽  
Abuduaili Atibaike ◽  
Jianxiong Xi ◽  
Qianhua Zhao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between normal cognition and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many AD-risk variants and indicated the important role of lipid metabolism pathway in AD progression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of triglyceride (TG) and genetic risk factors on progression from MCI to AD (MCI-AD progression).Methods The current study sample comprised of 305 MCI subjects aged 50 and over who were prospectively followed up for average 4.5 years in a sub-cohort of the Shanghai Aging Study. A consensus diagnosis of incident AD was conducted according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV and the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria. Fasting blood samples were obtained at baseline for analyzing serum TG. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyping was performed using a MassARRAY system. The effect of TG, genetic variants and their interaction on MCI-AD progression were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression model.Results During a mean (±SD) follow-up period of 4.5±1.3 y, 58 subjects developed incident AD. The SNP, rs6859 in the Poliovirus Receptor–Related 2 (PVRL2) gene, was significantly associated with incident AD (false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted P = 0.018). In multivariate cox model, the PVRL2 rs6859 AG, AA and AG+AA genotypes were associated with significantly increased incident AD, compared with the GG genotype (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.29, P = 0.029, and HR = 2.92, P = 0.013, and HR = 2.47, P =0.012, respectively). In PVRL2 rs6859 AG/AA carriers, higher ln TG was significantly associated with increased risk of incident AD (adjusted HR =2.64, P = 0.034). Ln TG and PVRL2 rs6859 had interactive effect on the MCI-AD progression (P Ln TG × rs6859 = 0.001). Conclusion The present study indicated that PVRL2 rs6859 modified the effect of TG on MCI-AD progression. Precision prevention in MCI population based on genetic information should be considered to avoid progression to AD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153601212094758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanisa Chotipanich ◽  
Monchaya Nivorn ◽  
Anchisa Kunawudhi ◽  
Chetsadaporn Promteangtrong ◽  
Natphimol Boonkawin ◽  
...  

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the appropriate uptake-timing in cognitively normal individuals, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, using 18F-PI 2620 dynamic PET acquisition. Methods: Thirty-four MCI patients, 6 AD patients, and 24 cognitively normal individuals were enrolled in this study. A dynamic 18F-PI 2620 PET study was conducted at 30-75 minutes post-injection in these groups. Co-registration was applied between the dynamic acquisition PET and T1-weighted MRI to delineate various cortical regions. The standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) was used for quantitative analysis. P-mod software with the Automated Anatomical Labeling (AAL)-merged atlas was employed to generate automatic volumes of interest for 11 brain regions. Results: The curves in most brain regions presented an average SUVR stability at 30-40 minutes post-injection in each group. The appropriate uptake-timing interval of 18F-PI 2620 was 30-75 minutes post injection for AD group and 30-40 minutes post injection for both cognitively normal individuals and MCI groups. Conclusion: Short uptake time around 30-40 minutes post-injection would be more comfortable and convenient for all patients, especially in those with dementia who were unable to stay motionless for long periods of scanning time in the scanner.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiehui Jiang ◽  
Xiaoming Sun ◽  
Ian Alberts ◽  
Min Wang ◽  
Axel Rominger ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Predicting the risk of disease progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) has important clinical significance. This study aims at providing a personalized MCI-to-AD conversion prediction via radiomics-based predictive modeling (RPM) with multicentre 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) data. Method: Three cohorts of 18F-FDG PET data and neuropsychological assessments were gathered from patients examined at Huashan Hospital (n=22), Xuanwu Hospital (n=80), and from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (n=355). Of these, amyloid images were selected for the ADNI and Xuanwu cohorts. First, 430 radiomic features were extracted from the 80 regions of interest (ROIs) for all PET images. These features were then concatenated for feature selection and an RPM model was constructed on the ADNI dataset. In addition, we used clinical scale data to establish a clinical Cox model, and a combined model for comparison. Afterwards, the images from Huashan Hospital were used to validate the stability and reliability of RPM, and the images from Xuanwu Hospital were used to explore the differences of biomarkers at different cognitive stages. Finally, correlation analysis was conducted between the radiomic biomarkers, neuropsychological assessments, and amyloid burden. Results: Experimental results show that the predictive performance of the PET-modal cox model was better than clinical cox model. In the two test data sets, the C index of PET model is 0.75 and 0.73, respectively; The C index of clinical model is 0.68. Moreover, most crucial image biomarkers had significant differences at different cognitive stages, and were significantly correlated with cognitive ability and the amyloid global level standardized uptake value ratio.Conclusion: The preliminary results demonstrated that the developed RPM approach has the potential to monitor the progress in high-risk populations with AD.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1169-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Carbonell ◽  
Arnaud Charil ◽  
Alex P Zijdenbos ◽  
Alan C Evans ◽  
Barry J Bedell ◽  
...  

Positron emission tomography (PET) studies using [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) have identified a well-defined pattern of glucose hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The assessment of the metabolic relationship among brain regions has the potential to provide unique information regarding the disease process. Previous studies of metabolic correlation patterns have demonstrated alterations in AD subjects relative to age-matched, healthy control subjects. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between β-amyloid, apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4) genotype, and metabolic correlations patterns in subjects diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Mild cognitive impairment subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) study were categorized into β-amyloid-low and β-amyloid-high groups, based on quantitative analysis of [18F]florbetapir PET scans, and APOE ε4 non-carriers and carriers based on genotyping. We generated voxel-wise metabolic correlation strength maps across the entire cerebral cortex for each group, and, subsequently, performed a seed-based analysis. We found that the APOE ε4 genotype was closely related to regional glucose hypometabolism, while elevated, fibrillar β-amyloid burden was associated with specific derangements of the metabolic correlation patterns.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinan Zhao ◽  
D. Rangaprakash ◽  
Peipeng Liang ◽  
Gopikrishna Deshpande

Abstract Objective It is important to identify brain-based biomarkers that progressively deteriorate from healthy to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Cortical thickness, amyloid-ß deposition, and graph measures derived from functional connectivity (FC) networks obtained using functional MRI (fMRI) have been previously identified as potential biomarkers. Specifically, in the latter case, betweenness centrality (BC), a nodal graph measure quantifying information flow, is reduced in both AD and MCI. However, all such reports have utilized BC calculated from undirected networks that characterize synchronization rather than information flow, which is better characterized using directed networks. Methods Therefore, we estimated BC from directed networks using Granger causality (GC) on resting-state fMRI data (N = 132) to compare the following populations (p < 0.05, FDR corrected for multiple comparisons): normal control (NC), early MCI (EMCI), late MCI (LMCI) and AD. We used an additional metric called middleman power (MP), which not only characterizes nodal information flow as in BC, but also measures nodal power critical for information flow in the entire network. Results MP detected more brain regions than BC that progressively deteriorated from NC to EMCI to LMCI to AD, as well as exhibited significant associations with behavioral measures. Additionally, graph measures obtained from conventional FC networks could not identify a single node, underscoring the relevance of GC. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate the superiority of MP over BC as well as GC over FC in our case. MP obtained from GC networks could serve as a potential biomarker for progressive deterioration of MCI and AD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Feng ◽  
Weijie Huang ◽  
Qingqing Meng ◽  
Weijun Hao ◽  
Hongxiang Yao ◽  
...  

Background: Hippocampal atrophy is a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, alterations in structural connectivity (number of connecting fibers) between the hippocampus and whole brain regions due to hippocampal atrophy remain largely unknown in AD and its prodromal stage, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).Methods: We collected high-resolution structural MRI (sMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from 36 AD patients, 30 aMCI patients, and 41 normal control (NC) subjects. First, the volume and structural connectivity of the bilateral hippocampi were compared among the three groups. Second, correlations between volume and structural connectivity in the ipsilateral hippocampus were further analyzed. Finally, classification ability by hippocampal volume, its structural connectivity, and their combination were evaluated.Results: Although the volume and structural connectivity of the bilateral hippocampi were decreased in patients with AD and aMCI, only hippocampal volume correlated with neuropsychological test scores. However, positive correlations between hippocampal volume and ipsilateral structural connectivity were displayed in patients with AD and aMCI. Furthermore, classification accuracy (ACC) was higher in AD vs. aMCI and aMCI vs. NC by the combination of hippocampal volume and structural connectivity than by a single parameter. The highest values of the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) in every two groups were all obtained by combining hippocampal volume and structural connectivity.Conclusions: Our results showed that the combination of hippocampal volume and structural connectivity (number of connecting fibers) is a new perspective for the discrimination of AD and aMCI.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document